--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Talent isn't enough. You need…" description: "\"Talent isn't enough. You need motivation-and persistence, too: what Steinbeck called a blend of faith and arrogance. When you're young, plain old pover..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/leon-uris-7821_arrogance_talent-isn-t-enough-you-need-motivation_1610687.jpg" --- # Talent isn't enough. You need motivation-and persistence… ![“Talent isn't enough. You need motivation-and persistence, too: what Steinbeck called a blend of faith and arrogance. When you're young, plain old poverty can be enough, along with an insatiable hunger for recognition. You have to have that feeling of "I'll show them." If you don't have it, don't…” quote by Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/leon-uris-7821_arrogance_talent-isn-t-enough-you-need-motivation_1610687.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/leon-uris-7821_arrogance_talent-isn-t-enough-you-need-motivation_1610687.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/leon-uris-7821_arrogance_talent-isn-t-enough-you-need-motivation_1610687.jpg) > “Talent isn't enough. You need motivation-and persistence, too: what Steinbeck called a blend of faith and arrogance. When you're young, plain old poverty can be enough, along with an insatiable hunger for recognition. You have to have that feeling of "I'll show them." If you don't have it, don't become a writer.” [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success needs talent plus drive, a mix of confidence and humility, especially when resources are scarce. **In simple terms:** Talent alone isn’t enough; you need grit and confidence. Key Takeaway Cultivate persistence and self‑belief. Themes motivation perseverance confidence Mood hopeful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing a novel - starting a career - overcoming poverty - seeking fame Key Concepts faith arrogance hunger for recognition Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your inner “show them” drive? - How do you balance confidence with humility? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can blind you to constructive criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger/) [Insatiable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insatiable/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Need Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-motivation-583944/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Persistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persistence/) [Persistence Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persistence-steinbeck-6142215/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Recognition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recognition/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steinbeck/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Talent Isn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent-isn-921866/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [You could be beaten down by anybody and by everybody and it doesn't matter what everybody else thinks it's how you see yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/you-could-be-beaten-down-by-anybody-and-by-everybody-and-it-doesn-t/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [Those who say I need Motivation will never create Inspiration that will take them to their Destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/those-who-say-i-need-motivation-will-never-create-inspiration-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People don't need motivation, they need guidance. If guided well, motivation will come itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jatin-tanwer/people-don-t-need-motivation-they-need-guidance-if-guided-well/) [Jatin Tanwer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jatin-tanwer/) > [I don't think you need motivation to win a league or a trophy. It's every footballer's dream. It's why you play football. You enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-henderson/i-don-t-think-you-need-motivation-to-win-a-league-or-a-trophy-it-s/) [Jordan Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-henderson/) > [“There are times people need help, there are times they need motivation. Keep your mouth absolutely shut, if you cannot make the distinction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-are-times-people-need-help-there-are-times-they-need-motivation/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [When people are inspired, they don't need motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-leonard/when-people-are-inspired-they-don-t-need-motivation/) [Thomas Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-leonard/) > [You can't change the state of the nation. We just need some motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sum-41/you-can-t-change-the-state-of-the-nation-we-just-need-some-motivation/) [Sum 41](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sum-41/) > [When I need motivation, I just think I can do everything if I maintain a strong sense of will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-wright/when-i-need-motivation-i-just-think-i-can-do-everything-if-i-maintain/) [Letitia Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-wright/) > [It's the same thing: I would think, "If I can't go out and pull some teenager tonight, maybe I'm no good on stage anymore."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/it-s-the-same-thing-i-would-think-if-i-can-t-go-out-and-pull-some/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [People need motivation to do anything. I don't think human beings learn anything without desperation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/people-need-motivation-to-do-anything-i-don-t-think-human-beings/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [Trust me when you love something you don't need motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-nubret/trust-me-when-you-love-something-you-don-t-need-motivation/) [Serge Nubret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-nubret/) > [I can't do things by myself. I need a motivation, and the motivation is always the director's. I find my freedom inside other people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-gainsbourg/i-can-t-do-things-by-myself-i-need-a-motivation-and-the-motivation-is/) [Charlotte Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-gainsbourg/) > [If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn't need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/if-someone-is-going-down-the-wrong-road-he-doesn-t-need-motivation-to/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [“Most people can motivate themselves to do things simply by knowing that those things need to be done. But not me. For me, motivation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allie-brosh/most-people-can-motivate-themselves-to-do-things-simply-by-knowing/) [Allie Brosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allie-brosh/) > [I don't need much motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yu-darvish/i-don-t-need-much-motivation/) [Yu Darvish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yu-darvish/) ## More by Leon Uris > [Usually a good part of the people trying it end up not making it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/usually-a-good-part-of-the-people-trying-it-end-up-not-making-it/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [It all begins and ends in the same place, doesn't it? Conor and me in Ballyutogue. We all come home eventually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/it-all-begins-and-ends-in-the-same-place-doesn-t-it-conor-and-me-in/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“God figured out when he separated us from the rest of the creatures that if we have the power to reason and justify and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/god-figured-out-when-he-separated-us-from-the-rest-of-the-creatures/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“In God's scheme what is a few billion years here and there. Perhaps there have come and gone a dozen human civilizations in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/in-god-s-scheme-what-is-a-few-billion-years-here-and-there-perhaps/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“Nordstrom.” “Would you care for some tea or a brandy?” “No … Nicole, I know”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/nordstrom-would-you-care-for-some-tea-or-a-brandy-no-nicole-i-know/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“And that is where I have failed you, Ari. You see, I would have crawled to your mother a million times. I would crawl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/and-that-is-where-i-have-failed-you-ari-you-see-i-would-have-crawled/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [Anyone who goes into writing has to find out somewhere along the line, he's either naive or insane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/anyone-who-goes-into-writing-has-to-find-out-somewhere-along-the-line/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“From there Ari took her to the church which marked the place of the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes a short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/from-there-ari-took-her-to-the-church-which-marked-the-place-of-the/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [I was tough. I used everything to my advantage. I could be very ruthless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/i-was-tough-i-used-everything-to-my-advantage-i-could-be-very-ruthless/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [My first book was rejected nine times. It turned out to be a best seller, Battle Cry? in 1953.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/my-first-book-was-rejected-nine-times-it-turned-out-to-be-a-best/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [Life hinges on many factors we cannot control. Two of the most important factors, we can control. We can manage our relationships-and what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/life-hinges-on-many-factors-we-cannot-control-two-of-the-most/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [I do not write for an audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/i-do-not-write-for-an-audience/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“But once you allow yourself to think that there are some people, because of their race, their color, or religion, who are really not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/but-once-you-allow-yourself-to-think-that-there-are-some-people/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [I essentially write for myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/i-essentially-write-for-myself/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“Karen Hansen Clement sank deep in melancholy. She heard till she could hear no more. She saw until she could see no more. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/karen-hansen-clement-sank-deep-in-melancholy-she-heard-till-she-could/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) [Explore all 83 Leon Uris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) ## More Arrogance quotes > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/) [Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) > [What you see of me on TV and all of that, that is me - that's truly how I feel. I'm just multiplying it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-corbin/what-you-see-of-me-on-tv-and-all-of-that-that-is-me-that-s-truly-how/) [Baron Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-corbin/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Never mistake someones quietness for their arrogance as you can surely miss out on an awsome personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-mistake-someones-quietness-for-their-arrogance-as-you-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“I was consumed by a selfishness and arrogance that I didn't dare let go of until I found a new persona to hide behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-koomson/i-was-consumed-by-a-selfishness-and-arrogance-that-i-didn-t-dare-let/) [Dorothy Koomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-koomson/) > [Arrogance is the outgrowth of prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/arrogance-is-the-outgrowth-of-prosperity/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Timing and arrogance are decisive factors in the successful use of talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/timing-and-arrogance-are-decisive-factors-in-the-successful-use-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/) [Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/) > [Closed some doors, not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they no longer lead somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenz-jeffrey/closed-some-doors-not-because-of-pride-incapacity-or-arrogance-but/) [Frenz Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenz-jeffrey/) > [My success isn't a result of arrogance - it's a result of belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/my-success-isn-t-a-result-of-arrogance-it-s-a-result-of-belief/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [“...a great man who is vicious will only be a great doer of evil, and a rich man who is not liberal will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cervantes/a-great-man-who-is-vicious-will-only-be-a-great-doer-of-evil-and-a/) [Miguel Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cervantes/) > [An increasing number of people are growing uncomfortable with the gulf between the world's rich and the poor. Ostentatiously splashing your money around simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalle-lasn/an-increasing-number-of-people-are-growing-uncomfortable-with-the/) [Kalle Lasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalle-lasn/) [Browse all 1,418 Arrogance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Talent isn't enough. You need motivation-and persistence, too: what Steinbeck called a blend of faith and arrogance. When you're young, plain old poverty can be enough, along with an insatiable hunger for recognition. 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